Curtain-rod for sleeping-car berths.



No.862,097. PATENTED JULY 30, 1907.-

H. H. NIEMEYER, A. E. LEHMANN & A. SINSKBY. v

CURTAIN ROD FORSLEEPING GAR BERTHS.

APPLIOATEIION PI LED 00113. 1906.

FIGL.

.lNUENTORS; I H; H. NlEME-YER. RE.

ATTEST L H A Sm s K YNf v BY v AI u 50., wAsmuoroN. D C

UNITED STA ES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN H. NIEMEYER, ARTHUR E. LEHMANN, AND ADOLF SINSKEY, OF ST. CHARLES,

MISSOURI.

CURTAIN-ROD FOR SLEEPING-CAR BERTI-IS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 30, 1907.

Application filed October 13, 1906. Serial No. 338,879.

To all whom t't may concern:

Be it known that we, HERMAN H. NIEMEYER, AR- THUR E. LEHMANN, and ADOLF SINsKEY, all citizens of the United States, and residents of St. Charles, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Curtain-Rods for Sleeping-Car Berths, of which the following is a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

Our invention relates to a curtain rod for sleeping car berths, and the object of our invention is to arrange a curtain rod upon arms which operate through housings arranged in the ceiling of the car, thus concealing said arms when the curtain rod is not in use, and doing away with the hinged arms ordinarily employed at the ends of berth curtain rods.

To the above purposes, our invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is a perspective view of a curtain rod of our improved construction, and which is shown pulled forwardly in position to receive the berth curtains; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the car ceiling and roof, and showing one of the curtain rod arms positioned in its housing; Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings:l designates the car. roof, 2 the car ceiling, and 3 the deck sill, whichparts are of ordinary well known construction. Arranged at each end of each berth between the ceiling 2 and deck sill 3 is a housing 4, of inverted U-shape in cross section, and preferably curved longitudinally to conform with the car roof and ceiling. The front ends of these housings are open and are arranged immediately beneath the deck sills and the molding on the face thereof, and the rear ends of said housings are closed, as designated by 5. Formed in the inner faces of the side walls of the housings and adjacent the tops thereof are longitudinally extending grooves 6, the forward ends of which terminate in abrupt shoulders 7. Journaled for rotation in each housing, immediately in front of the shoulders 7, is a roller 8, and a smaller roller 9 is journaled between ears 10 formed integral with the forward end and bottom of the housing. Ar-

ranged to slide through each housing 4 is an arm 10 in the top and bottom sides of which are formed respectively the grooves 11 and 12, which receive the rollers 8 and 9; and formed integral with the top side and rear end of each arm are the laterally projecting lugs 13, which travel in the grooves 6, and which engage against the shoulders 7, thus acting as stops to prevent the withdrawal of the arm from the housing.

The curtain rod 14, preferably in the form of a tube, has its ends seated in the forward ends of a corresponding pair of the arms 14, and arranged on the center of each rod is a loop 15, which is to be engaged when the rod is shifted from oneposition to another.

When not in use, the rod 14 is moved into a position immediately beneath the deck sill molding, and the arms 10 are correspondingly moved into the housings 4, during which movement the rollers 8 and 9 allow said arms to travel freely, and with a minimum amount of friction. When so positioned, the arms 10 are entirely concealed from view, and the rod 14 appears as a portion of the molding or finish between the ceiling and deck of the car.

When the berths are made up and it is desired to suspend the curtains in front of said berths, the rod 14 is pulled forwardly, and in so doing, the arms 10 travel forwardly through the housings 4, during which movement they ride upon the rollers 8 and 9, with easy movement, noiseless, and with a minimum amount of friction. The top and bottom surfaces of the curved arms are provided with the grooves 11 and 12, in which the peripheries of the rollers 8 and 9 travel, and this arrangement permits the curtain rod and both curved arms to be easily pulled forward by engaging either end of the curtain rod, as the rollers occupying their corresponding grooves prevent any twisting or binding of said curved arms in the housings, due to lateral strain when one end of the curtain rod is pulled outwardly. The upper roller 8 is arranged a slight distance to the rear of the lower roller, in order to form anti-friction bearings for the arm, and to properly distribute the strain of said arm due to the weight of the curtain rod and curtain thereon.

The lugs 13 engage against the shoulders 7, thus limiting the forward movement of the arms 10, and determining the position of the rod 14.

Our improved construction is simple, inexpensive, easily installed, does away with the hinged arms ordinarily employed at the ends of the curtain rods, and, when not in use, these arms are entirelyconcealed within the frame of the car. i

We claim:

1. The combination with a car, of inverted U-shapc housings arranged between the car ceiling and car roof, there being grooves formed in the inner faces of the side walls of said housings; arms arranged to slide through said housings, lugs integral with said arms, which extend into and travel through the grooves in the housings; and a rod connecting the forward ends of said arms; substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a car, of housings arranged between the car ceiling and car root, arms arranged to slide through said housings, there being grooves formed in the tops and bottoms of said arms; a rod connecting the forward ends of said arms, and anti-friction rollers carried by the housings for engaging in the grooves formed in'the arms; substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a car, of housings arranged between the car ceiling and car root, arms arranged to slide through said housings, in the tops and bottoms of which arms are formed grooves, antiiriction rollers journaled in the housin s and engaging in the grooves in the arms; a rod connecting the forward ends of said arms, and means whereby the outward movement of the arms is limited; substantially as specified.

4. The combination with a car, of housings arranged be- I tween the car ceiling and car roof, arms arranged to slide through said housings. a rod connecting the forward ends of said arms, anti-friction rollers carried by the housings for engaging the arms, there being grooves formed in the inner faces of the housings, and lugs integral with the rear ends of the arms, which lugs extend into the grooves.

53. The combination with curved housings arranged between the car ceiling and car root, there being grooves formed in the inner faces of the side walls of said housings, of curved arms arranged to slide through said housings, lugs integral with the rear ends of said curved arms, which lugs engage in the grooves in the housings, there being grooves formed in the tops and bottoms of the arms, and rollers journaled in the housings, which rollers engage in the grooves in thearms, and one of the rollers of each housing being arranged at the front of the housing, and the opposite roller a short distance to the rear of the first roller.

r In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' HERMAN H. NIEMEYER.

ARTHUR E. LEHMANN. ADOLF SINSKEY.

Witnesses M. P. lui'rn,

E. L. WALLACE. 

